Marsh out of CPL

Bridgetown (Barbados): Australian cricketer Shaun Marsh has withdrawn from the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) tournament scheduled to start in July.

The CPL has confirmed that Marsh will not be available to participate in the 2013 tournament. The reason for his unavailability is due to a recently confirmed Australia A Team tour to South Africa that will clash with the CPL.

There is the possibility that two other Australian players - Steve Smith and Aaron Finch - may also be unavailable.

“It is very unfortunate this has happened, but this is international cricket. We appreciate that schedules are extremely tight and we need to respect the national cricket commitments these players have,” said CPL CEO Damien O’Donohoe Saturday.

“We are working with the franchise teams that will be affected and are seeking appropriate replacements to ensure they will be prepared for a competitive tournament come July 30.”

The hard-hitting batsman, son of former Australian opening batsman Geoff Marsh, was an international franchise player with the Jamaica Tallawahs in the inaugural CPL which bowls off July 30 in Barbados.